If you knew a consumer spoke a language other than English, would you use technology that allows you to call that individual and play a message in that other language, in the sound of your voice? The Mayor of New York City, who earlier this week announced the adoption of an Artificial Intelligence Action Plan that will support the implementation of AI tools for use by the city, is now finding himself in ethical hot water for sending robocalls to residents of the city in languages he does not speak.
Mayor Eric Adams has made calls in Spanish, Yiddish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Haitian Creole using artificial intelligence technology, according to a public report. A copy of a call made in Spanish can be listened to by clicking here. The mayor doesn’t speak Spanish — or any of these languages — fluently, a fact he joked about during a press conference announcing the launch of the action plan.
“I was excited when I had my voice go over the phone to a person who speaks Mandarin, and they were able to hear their mayor speak to them in their language,” he said, according to a published report. “People stop me on the street all the time, and they say, ‘I didn’t know you speak Mandarin.’”
Critics are calling the calls “deeply unethical” because the mayor is using artificial intelligence to make it look like he speaks languages he doesn’t. The calls don’t mention that technology is being used to make it sound like Mayor Adams.
The action plan outlines 37 steps that will be taken or completed in the next year, including:
- Establish a framework for AI governance that acknowledges the risks of AI, including bias and disparate impact;
- Create an external advisory network to consult with stakeholders across sectors around the opportunities and challenges posed by AI;
- Build AI knowledge and skills in city government to prepare city employees to effectively and responsibly work with and on AI;
- Enable responsible AI acquisition with AI-specific procurement standards or guidance to support agency-level contracting; and
- Publish an annual AI progress report to communicate about the city’s progress and implementation.
